Once again, there's precious little to interest the D&E enthusiast in the July edition of British Railway Modelling - with the exception of 3 pages from Nigel Burkin the magazine is completely devoted to steam. In this issue the obscure Wrexham, Mold & Connah's Quay Railway (a company that ceased to exist in 1905 and for which there are no RTR models available, for heaven's sake!) gets more coverage than the entire D&E scene that has dominated the real railway for the last 40 to 50 years - typical of the bizarre slant of this magazine and the reason I very rarely buy it these days.
Whilst skimming it in Smiffs, however, I did notice a letter of complaint from a D&E enthusiast about the steam bias of the hobby, but in many ways the letter is something of an own-goal. I suspect the magazine receives more coherently argued communications every month, but this one was included because it's very easy to refute. The 'in tests, 9 out of 10 dogs said woof' logic is, quite correctly, dismissed by the editor, who goes on to point out that steam outline models allegedly outsell D&E ones by a ratio of three to one. I looked in vain for an explanation as to why the magazine doesn't reflect this by giving 25% of it's space to D&E subjects...
Frankly, I'm suprised the ratio is only three to one. I'm a certifiable D&E enthusiast, I'm not shy when it comes to offering an opinion on the shoddy state of the UK hobby and I'm regarded in some quarters as a Very Naughty Boy indeed. Yet I buy considerably more than three times as many kettle models as I do diesels and electrics. What choice do I have? I can't buy something that isn't there.
Look at Hornby's 2004 catalogue. The D&E enthusiast has the Class 31 to look forward too, whilst the boiler bunny probably can't sleep at night with the excitement of the forthcoming Granges, A1s, A3s and A4s. You don't need a degree in economics to take a guess at what sales figures that little lot will generate. In it's entire history the company has only produced one vaguely decent D&E loco (the Class 50) yet in the short time I've been back in the hobby they've released Princess Coronations, Streamlined Coronations, Princess Royals, 8Fs, Black 5s, Q1s, Fowler Tanks and enough types of Bulleid Pacific to shift the earth on it's axis. Is that responding to market forces or producing them?
On the Bachmann front, the numbers are more encouraging, certainly, but the quality just isn't there in the diesel range. I'll buy the A1 Pacific but I won't touch the Deltic. I adore the Std 4MT tank loco, but would sooner give up the hobby than buy the woeful Class 37. Get the picture?
Before you can draw any meaningful conclusions from sales statistics, you need a level playing field - something which we simply haven't got. The hobby in the UK is centred around steam purely because the industry has always produced steam locos and steam magazines. Had the manufacturers operated with a diesel bias for the last 30 years then diesel models would most likely be the ones currently selling in greater quantities - that's the problem with trying to build a business strategy based on past realities rather than future potentials. US & European markets aren't kettle-centric in this way (look at their magazines and catalogues to see a much healthier situation) because they're not carrying the baggage of an incestuous and backward looking industry. Whether anyone will ever have the business acumen to try and exploit the largely untapped D&E market in this country remains to be seen - I have my doubts, personally. If your market research people are telling you the Wrexham, Mold & Connah's Quay Railway is where it's at then you're seriously f.........
Currently On My Stereo: Marillion - Marbles
